Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

Small Spaces

Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

A designer makes good on a long-ago promise to create the perfect retro-industrial look for a radio personality's first home.

Adam Wylde (co-host of the popular Blake & Wylde radio show and son of TV and radio personality Marilyn Denis) was 14, he asked family friend and designer Ramsin Khachi for a favour. “He made me promise that I would design his place when he bought one,” recalls the in-house consultant on The Marilyn Denis Show.

So when Adam found a 755-square foot loft with spectacular views and a hip industrial vibe in Toronto’s King East Design District, he brought Ramsin to see it. “It was a purple mess,” recalls Adam, referring to the floor-to-ceiling eggplant coloured walls and unfortunate 1980s finishes. “But it had so much potential, and I couldn’t get a view like that anywhere else in the city.” Ramsin agreed and took on the challenge of making the space match Adam’s relaxed style of living.

Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

Spiral staircase

Designer Ramsin Khachi created a new spiral staircase with a more gradual descent, placing it in the middle of the living space (rather than close to the wall) to delineate the dining area and add drama. Stamped-metal dining chairs and a glass barn-style pendant light amplify the industrial vibe of this open-concept loft.

Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

Vintage teak console

“I used to live in an old cigarette factory, and I just love that style,” says homeowner Adam Wylde, who adores his industrial loft look. In the living area, the vintage teak console – propped up on cement blocks – holds his treasures: an antique radio, vinyl records and a retro tangerine phone (that used to belong to Adam’s grandpa), providing a rare pop of colour.

Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

High-gloss cabinetry

Raw steel floating open shelves and vintage-look brick cladding balance the sleek high-gloss cabinetry in the kitchen. With durable quartz countertops, “Adam can make all the mess he wants,” says Ramsin with a laugh.

Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

Clean-lined workspace

Ramsin was careful not to overstock Adam’s loft. A clean-lined workspace tucked beside the dining area displays a few of Adam’s collectibles. The framed $2 and $20 bills were a present from his mom. “When I was little, I told her I wanted to frame the bills to show my kids one day, so she did it to surprise me,” says Adam.

Loft tour: Retro-industrial design

Powder room

The main-floor powder room previously housed a washer and dryer, making the door hard to open. Ramsin closed off the laundry area and added another door beside the powder room entrance to make the machines accessible from the hallway.